Molecular identification and phylogeny of Dermacentor nuttalli (Acari: Ixodidae)

Abstract

Dermacentor nuttalli is an epidemiologically important tick in Palearctic Asia which transmits several infectious diseases including tularemia, North Asian tick-borne rickettsiosis, Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis. The genetic specificity and phylogeny of D. nuttalli from four geographic localities in Eastern Siberia were characterized using the mitochondrial (mt) 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2). Low genetic diversity was observed in the populations of ticks distributed from South Siberia to North China. From 11 detected mt 16S haplotypes, one was found in all populations, whereas the others were restricted to specific localities. These results suggested that the genetic structure of D. nuttalli represents integrated populations with no geographic isolation across the distribution area. The phylogenetic reconstructions inferred from the mt 16S rRNA gene and ITS2 were in agreement and showed a distinct D. nuttalli clade within a monophyletic Eurasian lineage of Dermacentor sp.